Locally produced and grown food will now be gracing the shelves at the Great Plains Food Bank, thanks to regional producers.
Because of the United States Department of Agriculture’s Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program, food pantries like the Great Plains Food Bank can now offer their community locally grown food.
According to the USDA , the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program uses non-competitive cooperative agreements to provide up to $900 million of American Rescue Plan and Commodity Credit Corporation funding for governments to purchase foods produced within within 400 miles of the delivery destination to help support local, regional and underserved producers. The purpose of the program is to improve food and agricultural supply chain resiliency while providing food to feeding programs, including food banks, schools and organizations that reach underserved communities.
Locally produced and grown food will now be gracing the shelves at the Great Plains Food Bank, thanks to regional producers.
Because of the United States Department of Agriculture’s Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program, food pantries like the Great Plains Food Bank can now offer their community locally grown food.
According to the USDA , the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program uses non-competitive cooperative agreements to provide up to $900 million of American Rescue Plan and Commodity Credit Corporation funding for governments to purchase foods produced within within 400 miles of the delivery destination to help support local, regional and underserved producers. The purpose of the program is to improve food and agricultural supply chain resiliency while providing food to feeding programs, including food banks, schools and organizations that reach underserved communities.
With the rising price of groceries due to inflation, Slinde said that they served 22% more individuals in 2022 compared to the previous year and continues to see a sharp rise in food insecure individuals. He hopes this program allows people to have access to a nutritious and diverse meal or food options. As he says due to grocery prices, that may not be an option for some people.
DeAnna Lozensky and her husband farm just south of Minot, North Dakota. They run a small grains rotation on their operation and focus on regenerative agriculture. The pair own and operate Guardian Grains and were approached by the Great Plains Food Bank to be a supplier of grain byproducts for the Local Food Purchase Agreement. For Lozensky, it felt like a perfect fit.
“Right now, we ship our grains, our flour, our pasta to all of the U.S. and into Canada. But, we really want to focus locally on supplying our communities with what it is that we’re growing,” she said.
Source: agweek.com
Photo Credit: gettyimages-fatcamera
Categories: North Dakota, Rural Lifestyle